Shane Warne picks his 2020-21 Australian Test and ODI teams
Shane Warne has picked his Aussie First Test and ODI teams and he has a message for the man he thinks can lead his country.
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Aussie cricket legend Shane Warne believes young Victorian Will Pucovski should be given more time to “own” domestic cricket.
The 22-year-old is the name on everyone’ lips after back-to-back Sheffield Shield double centuries thrust him into a selection face-off with incumbent Australian opener Joe Burns.
SEE WARNIE’S FIRST TEST AND WHITE-BALL TEAMS BELOW
Many pundits, including former selector Mark Waugh, believe Pucovski should be in the First Test side to take on India in Adelaide.
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But Victorian great Warne says there is no need to rush Pucovski into the Baggy Green.
“I’d leave him out for a while,” Warne wrote in his exclusive column for NewsCorp.
“I know he’s made back-to-back 200s — but make another one, and then another one, and then another hundred.
“Just keep going and own domestic cricket.”
Warne says fellow young sensation Cameron Green is ready to make his debut in the series, but not necessarily in Adelaide, where current No.6 Matthew Wade should get first crack, especially if the deck looks conducive to swing.
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SHANE WARNE’S TEAM FOR THE FIRST TEST
DAVID WARNER
He’s such a dynamic player who can go after the bowling and really set the tone. Bowlers fear him and his battle with Jasprit Bumrah will be great to watch. The key to Warner is his aggression – he has to stay aggressive at the top, and if he does then I’m sure he’s in for another big summer.
JOE BURNS
I’d give Burns a good run at opening. The reason his spot is still up for debate is he hasn’t quite nailed it. But he’s given us enough to say, ‘This guy can do it’, and so he deserves a nod from the selectors to say, ‘Mate, we believe you can do it, we’re picking you to do the job’. I don’t think India is the right time to get Will Pucovski in. Burns is a good foil for Warner, so I’d be backing him and giving him another chance.
MARNUS LABUSCHAGNE
Everyone talks about Kane Williamson, Virat Kohli and Steve Smith as the big three of international cricket, well the next best is Marnus Labuschagne, and he quite easily could be in that company. The reason Australia is starting to challenge to be the best in the world again is because of Marnus Labuschagne. What he’s done in the past 18 months has been phenomenal, so more of the same, please, Marnus.
STEVE SMITH
He’s coming off an average IPL and some issues with the short ball, after being hit in the head again, so I think the Indians will go after him with some short stuff. But he’ll be hungry for a huge summer to stamp his authority as the best batsman in the world. It’s a shame Smith vs Kohli won’t be a four-Test competition. I’m sure Steve Smith will want to flex his muscles and prove he’s the best batsman in the world.
TRAVIS HEAD
He’s a future captain and I think he’ll want to see himself go on and get some big scores. He always seems to find a way to get out when he gets to 40 or 50. I remember against India he got caught at third man in both innings on the fence for 50. He’s got to work on his concentration because when he gets to 40 or 50 that’s his danger time.
MATTHEW WADE/CAMERON GREEN (one 12th man)
Given the first match is in Adelaide, I think it’s going to be a hard Test to make your debut in against a really good bowling attack. So I’d lean towards Wade to start with, and if he does well – great. But if Wade or Head don’t do that well then I think Green will come in. I want Green in the 12 and around the team so he is ready to pounce. If the pink ball is going to hoop around corners in Adelaide I’d start with the experience of Wade, but if the wicket is flat then I wouldn’t mind seeing Green.
TIM PAINE (C, wk)
All we need from Tim Paine is runs. We love his leadership of the team, but I still think he can work on his tactics. He’s still evolving as a captain tactically, and he can get better there, but he leads the team really well, and it’s great to see him in the runs in the Sheffield Shield. Let’s hope they continue in the Test arena.
PAT CUMMINS
The nickname says it all – Winx. He’s just an absolute thoroughbred and a great performer. Cummins is the real heartbeat of the team, the leader of the attack and it’s great to see him at his best.
MITCHELL STARC
We want to see Starc as the enforcer. He’s not there for his consistency, we just want him to bowl those spells that are unplayable. He’ll bowl two lengths – full or short at your head – and we want to see him bowling at around 150km and steaming in in short spells.
NATHAN LYON
Probably the best spinner in the world, and he’s a traditional off spinner. He doesn’t have too many tricks up his sleeve, but he’s got a good change of pace, and he’ll enjoy bowling to the Indians. I’m looking forward to his battle with Cheteshwar Pujara again, and I hope he starts with a bat pad on the off-side.
JOSH HAZLEWOOD
He can be the best bowler in the world when he’s got his pace up and is steaming in. We need him fresh and bowling in the 140s, not jogging in and delivering medium pace. Hazlewood and Cummins in partnership is as good as it gets in world cricket, but we need him fresh.
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SHANE WARNE’S WHITE-BALL TEAM
DAVID WARNER
AARON FINCH (C)
Fantastic white-ball captain. He gets the best out of his players, he’s great tactically and he’s coming off an average IPL, so will be looking to hit the ground running in those first three ODIs. India will be looking to smash his front pad.
STEVE SMITH
MARCUS STOINIS
The more time he has, the more destructive he can be at the back-end of an innings. It looks like he’s hitting the ball as good as he’s ever hit the ball, and he’s played a few cameo innings where it looked like he was going to break open in England in September. His bowling is underrated, he’s a gun fielder and he takes big wickets.
MARNUS LABUSCHAGNE
GLENN MAXWELL
Maxi’s just in every white-ball team. He’s still got a bit of work to do on the short ball, but it looks like his technique is sorted and he’s a gun fielder. He can be destructive if the platform is laid and he’s a luxury to have in the side. You’re not looking for big consistency from him – in a three-match series you want him to win you one game with a 70 off 35.
ALEX CAREY (wk)
There were a few people talking about his spot, but he silenced those with a century against England in his last ODI. He’ll enjoy the bouncy conditions in Australia and he just looks like a class person. I’d love to give him a go at the top of the order, but when we’ve got such firepower it’s tough.
PATRICK CUMMINS
MITCHELL STARC
KANE RICHARDSON
A different sort of bowler. He angles the ball in to the right-hander and he’s become a dependable bowler for Aaron Finch in white-ball cricket. He’s got a good change of pace and is reliable in the back end. A good foil for Starc and Cummins.
ADAM ZAMPA
He’s become a weapon in the middle overs. Finch has a lot of confidence now where he can throw him the ball in any situation, and he generally takes wickets in those middle overs.
ASHTON AGAR (12th man)
He and Maxwell are the floaters in the XI, and Agar brings a good skillset to the white-ball game depending on the conditions.
WARNIE BREAKS DOWN INDIA’S STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES
INDIA’S BATTING STRENGTH
Virat Kohli, who is the best cricketer in the world at the moment, has come out and said that Test cricket is the most important format, and in domestic Indian cricket they’re now setting up for Test cricket, and getting the fast bowlers in so all their batsmen can face fast bowling. They now win away from home, too, and they bring aggression with the bat. Rohit Sharma has to step up and, along with Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane, they have to have a big series because if those three don’t fire then India are in real trouble.
INDIA’S BATTING WEAKNESS
Losing the boss after the first Test is huge. I can’t see India winning without Virat Kohli, so the tourists just have to win in Adelaide to have any chance in the series. If they don’t win in Adelaide then Australia will go close to clean-sweeping them, they’ll beat them convincingly. In recent times Moeen Ali has bowled them out in England and Nathan Lyon has ripped through them as well, two off-spinners, so I don’t think the current team plays spin anywhere near as well as what they used to. That’s because they’ve been so worried about fast bowlers and wanting to win overseas, so all their efforts have been going into fast bowlers, and producing fast bowlers, and their batsmen now are anywhere near as good against spin anymore. So I’m expecting another big series from Lyon.
INDIA’S BOWLING STRENGTH
Very, very well-balanced. They’ll probably play Kuldeep Yadav and Ravi Jadeja as their two spinners and maybe Ravi Ashwin as well. Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammad Shami are as good as anyone in the world, so that’s a fantastic combination. Kartik Tyagi, 20, is also travelling with the Test squad and he is one to keep an eye on. I saw him up close up in the nets for the Royals in the IPL and he wants the ball in his hand.
INDIA’S BOWLING WEAKNESS
They don’t have any weaknesses with the ball. I love the variety in their attack with pace and spin and that’s why they’re now the No.1 side in the world. The key for the Aussie batsmen is to wear the Indian bowlers down.
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